2008 HONDA PILOT service

The inf ormation display in the
instrument panel shows you the
engine oil lif e and maintenance
service items when the ignition
switch is in the ON (II) position. This
inf ormation helps to keep you aware
of the periodic maintenance your
vehicle needs f or continued trouble-
f ree driving. Ref er to page f or
more information.
Your vehicle’s onboard diagnostic
system will detect a loose or missing
f uel f ill cap as an evaporative system
leak. The f irst time a leak is detected
a ‘‘CHECK FUEL CAP’’ message
appears on the information display.
Turn the engine of f , and conf irm the
f uel f ill cap is installed. If it is, loosen
it, then retighten it until it clicks at
least once. The message should go
off after several days of normal
driving once you tighten or replace
the f uel f ill cap. To scroll to another
display, press the select/reset knob.
The ‘‘CHECK FUEL CAP’’ message
will appear each time you restart the
engine until the system turns the
message of f . If the system still detects a leak in
the vehicle’s evaporative emissions
system, the malf unction indicator
lamp (MIL) comes on. If the f uel f ill
cap was not already tightened, turn
the engine of f , and check or
retighten the f uel f ill cap until it
clicks at least once. The MIL should
go off after several days of normal
driving once the cap is tightened or
replaced. If the MIL does not go of f ,
have your vehicle inspected by a
dealer. For more inf ormation, see
page .
283 237
Gauges
Maintenance Minder Display
Check Fuel Cap Message
72
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Depending on where you drive, you
may experience reception problems.
Interf erence can be caused by any of
these conditions:Driving on the north side of a
large commercial truck on an
east/west road.
Driving in tunnels.
Driving on a road beside a vertical
wall, steep clif f , or hill to the south
of you.
Driving on the lower level of a
multi-tiered road.
Driving on a single lane road
alongside dense trees taller than
50 ft. (15 m) to the south of you. After you’ve registered with XM
Radio, keep your audio system in the
satellite radio mode while you wait
f or activation. This should take about
30 minutes.
Driving on the north side of an
east/west mountain road.
Large items carried on a roof rack.
There may be other geographic
situations that could af f ect XM radio
reception. If your XM Radio service has expired
or you purchased your vehicle f rom
a previous owner, you can listen to a
sampling of the broadcasts available
on XM satellite radio. With the
ignition switch in the ACCESSORY
(I) or the ON (II) position, push the
PWR/VOL knob to turn on the audio
system and press the XM RADIO
button. A variety of music types and
styles will play.
If you decide to purchase XM
satellite radio service, contact XM
Radio at , or at
1-800-852-9696. You will need to give
them your radio I.D. number and
your credit card number. To get your
radio I.D. number, turn the TUNEknob until ‘‘0’’ appears in the display.
Your I.D. will appear in the display.
Though it is not equipped with an
XM satellite radio system, your
vehicle is ‘‘XM Ready.’’ If you
purchase an XM radio receiver, you
can connect it to your vehicle’s audio
system to receive XM broadcasts.
While waiting f or activation, make
sure your vehicle remains in an open
area with good reception. Once your
audio system is activated, you’ll be
able to listen to XM radio broadcasts.
XM Radio will continue to send an
activation signal to your vehicle f or
at least 12 hours from the activation
request. If the service has not been
activated after 36 hours, contact XM
Radio.As required by the FCC:
Changes or modif ications not expresslyapproved by the party responsible f orcompliance could void the user’sauthority to operate the equipment.
www.xmradio.com U.S. EX models
Receiving Satellite Radio Service
Playing the XMSatellite Radio
Features
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Bef ore you begin driving your
vehicle, you should know what
gasoline to use and how to check the
levels of important f luids. You also
need to know how to properly store
luggage or packages. The
inf ormation in this section will help
you. If you plan to add any
accessories to your vehicle, please
read the information in this section
first..............................
Break-in Period .188
.................
Fuel Recommendation .188
.........
Service Station Procedures .189
....................................
Ref ueling .189
Opening and Closing the
.......................................
Hood .190
...................................
Oil Check .191
.............
Engine Coolant Check .192
...............................
Fuel Economy .193
...
Accessories and Modif ications .196
.............................
Carrying Cargo .198
Bef ore Driving
Bef ore Driving
187
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Help assure your vehicle’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
Do not change the oil until the
scheduled maintenance time.
Avoidhardbrakingforthefirst
200 miles (300 km).
Do not tow a trailer.
You should also f ollow these
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are replaced. In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend, in areas where it is
available, the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain manganese-based
f uel additives such as MMT.
Your vehicle is designed to operate
on unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 87 or higher. Use
of a lower octane gasoline can cause
a persistent, heavy metallic rapping
noise that can lead to engine damage.
We recommend using quality
gasolines containing detergent
additives that help prevent fuel
system and engine deposits.Some gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol or
MTBE. Your vehicle is designed to
operate on oxygenated gasoline
containing up to 10 % ethanol by
volume and up to 15 % MTBE by
volume. Do not use gasoline
containing methanol.
Premium f uel is recommended when
towing in certain conditions (see
page ).
Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance,
and cause the malfunction indicator
lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contact
your authorized dealer f or service. If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline.
For f urther important f uel-related
inf ormation, please ref er to your
.
228
Break-in Period, Fuel Recommendation
Break-in Period Fuel Recommendation
Quick Start Guide
188
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Open the f uel f ill door by pulling
onthehandletotheleftof the
driver’s seat.
Park with the driver’s side closest
to the service station pump.Stop f illing the tank af ter the f uel
nozzle automatically clicks of f . Do
not try to ‘‘top of f ’’ the tank. Leave
some room f or the f uel to expand
with temperature changes.
even though the tank is not f ull,
there may be a problem with your
vehicle’s fuel vapor recovery
system. The system helps keep
f uel vapor f rom going into the
atmosphere. Try f illing at another
pump. If this does not f ix the
problem, consult your dealer.
Remove the f uel f ill cap slowly.
You may hear a hissing sound as
pressure inside the tank escapes.
The fuel fill cap is attached to the
f uel f iller with a tether. Put the
attachment on the f uel f ill cap into
the slit on the f uel f ill door.
1.
2.
3.4.
If the f uel nozzle keeps clicking of f
CONT INUED
Service Station Procedures
Ref ueling
Bef ore Driving
189
Pull
SLIT
ATTACHMENT FUEL FILL CAP
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Put your f ingers under the f ront
edge of the hood near the center.
Slide your hand to the lef t until
you f eel the hood latch handle.
Push this handle up to release it.
Lif t up the hood.
If the hood latch handle moves
stif f ly, or if you can open the hood
without lifting the handle, the
mechanism should be cleaned and
lubricated.
Park the vehicle, and set the
parking brake. Pull the hood
release handle located under the
lower lef t corner of the dashboard.
The hood will pop up slightly.
Screw the fuel fill cap back on
until it clicks at least once. If you
do not properly tighten the cap,
the malf unction indicator lamp
maycomeon(seepage).You
will also see a ‘‘CHECK FUEL
CAP’’ message on the inf ormation
display.
Push the f uel f ill door closed until
it latches.
2.
1.
5.
6.
283
Service Station Procedures
Opening and Closing the Hood
190
LATCH
HOOD RELEASE HANDLE
Gasoline is highly flammable
and explosive. You can be
burned or seriously injured
when handling fuel.
Stop the engine, and keep
heat, sparks, and flame away.
Handle fuel only outdoors.
Wipe up spills immediately.
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Remove the dipstick again, and
check the level. It should be
between the upper and lower
marks.
If it is near or below the lower mark,
see on page .
Wait a f ew minutes af ter turning the
engine of f bef ore you check the oil.
Remove the dipstick (orange loop).
Wipe of f the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel.
Insert the dipstick all the way back
into its hole.
Holding the grip, pull the support
rod out of its clip. Insert the end
into the designated hole in the
hood.
To close the hood, lif t it up slightly to
remove the support rod f rom the
hole. Put the support rod back into
its holding clip. Lower the hood to
about a f oot (30 cm) above the
f ender, then let it drop. Make sure it
is securely latched. 1.
2.
3.
4.
3. 245
Service Station Procedures
A dding Engine Oil
Oil Check
Bef ore Driving
191
DIPSTICK
UPPER MARK
LOWER MARK
SUPPORT ROD CLIP GRIP
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Look at the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. Make sure it is
between the MAX and MIN lines. If
it is below the MIN line, seeon page f or
inf ormation on adding the proper
coolant. Refer to
on page f or inf ormation
about checking other items on your
vehicle.
248 242
Engine Coolant Check
A dding
Engine Coolant Owner’s Maintenance
Checks
Service Station Procedures
192
RESERVE TANK
MAX
MIN
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